Goblin Catcher, a sort of primordial Zelda, shows how simple an engaging game can be.

By Cory Casciato • November 29, 2012

Games don’t have to be big, complex, and deep to be engaging. Take Tetris—with just a few simple geometric shapes, some simulated gravity, and a goal of simplistic pattern-making, it became one of the greatest games of all time. Goblin Catcher is not one of the greatest games of all time, but it is an object lesson in how simple a good game can be.

Start in the middle of the screen, use the arrow keys to move around, catch the goblins, avoid the bad guys, grab an occasional power up. It all takes place on one essentially featureless screen. No level progression, no environmental obstacles, and no surprises. What you see is what you get. It’s pure and straightforward—a video game boiled down to its essence.

Goblin Catcher looks a lot like an Atari 2600 port of The Legend Of Zelda, thanks to some obviously “borrowed” art. In fact, if Zelda had been back-ported to the old Atari machine, I’d be willing to bet it would have played a lot like this, too. Back in those days, it might have been a modest hit. Today, it’s a modestly entertaining way to kill a half hour.

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Brainstrain

Fun soundtrack. Nice little diversion.

PaganPoet

It was kind of adorable for about five minutes.

BarbleBapkins

I don’t know where else to put this, but the latest Humble Bundle contains about five THQ games, with the minimum payment for the bonus game, Saints Row 3, being a paltry 6ish dollars currently.

Of the games in the pack, I’ve only played Metro 2033, and although I haven’t finished it, it is a very atmospheric and interesting game. Its attention to setting and character reminds me a bit of Half-Life 2, but much more depressing. It and the rest have gotten a decent amount of critical praise, so definitely worth looking into.

Spacemonkey Mafia

It’s a pretty audacious bundle, to be sure. Sadly there’s nothing on there that I haven’t played that compels me to much, but I almost want to buy it on principle.

http://www.gildedgreen.com/ Girard

Wow, the cheapskate in me is excited that some AAA expensive titles are in a pay-what-you-want bundle… but that same part of me is oddly disappointed that I don’t actually want any of those games…

Right, meant to note that! Thanks! The collection looks good too. A solid diversity of titles that are pretty legit landmarks in the design of games. It seems like whoever’s behind this “gets it.”

Also, I should probably thank MoMA now for adding a little more legitimacy to the paper on architecture and video games I’m writing.

http://www.gildedgreen.com/ Girard

Paola Antonelli also organized/curated MoMA’s great “Talk to Me” show a while back. I’m personally more of a ‘fine arts’ guy than a ‘design’ guy in my sensibilities, but I’m glad that there’s someone in any department of such a lauded cultural institution who obviously has a respect for games and other digital forms of expression.